Meet the Hokkaido

​​​​​​​​​​We Hokkaido are a rare and very old breed. Some humans think that we are the oldest and most primitive of the six native Japanese spitz breeds (which also include Akita, Shiba Inu, Kai Ken, Shikoku, and Kishu Ken). We go by a lot of different names. In Japan, we are mostly called Hokkaido Ken, but we are also called Ainu dog, Ainu-ken, Dō-ken, Seta, and Hokkaido Inu. In the first millennium CE, my earliest ancestors traveled to the northern island of Hokkaido with their humans, the indigenous Ainu people. The Ainu people had been pushed out of Honshu, the main island of Japan, and of course they took their dogs with them!

​​​​​​​​​​The Ainu people were hunters and gatherers, so of course they needed trusty hard-working dogs at their side! My hunting dog ancestors bred with the native dogs of Hokkaido island, which made us even stronger, tougher, and better suited to hunting big game in cold weather. My ancestors were so brave that they helped their humans hunt deer and even bears! Because we are so good in the snow, we were also great at search and rescue missions over Hokkaido’s rugged terrain and snowy mountains.

​​​​​​​​​​We were given the name Ainu-ken in 1869 when a British zoologist named Thomas Blankiston visited Japan, and this was our name until 1937 when our breed was named Hokkaido Inu and designated a living monument by the Japanese government (which means we are protected by law). Since we are so rare outside of Japan, we are not officially recognized by the American Kennel Club, but we are recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI). Even in Japan, our numbers are very small – there are only 10,000-12,000 of us in our native country – so if you’re lucky enough to find one of us, treat us like the rare national treasure that we are!